System for managing a loyalty program

Abstract

Some embodiments include a method comprising detecting, by one or more banking servers, selection of an investment product, wherein the investment product pays interest according to terms of the investment product. The method can also include selling the investment product, wherein the selling includes: 1) receiving personal information about a purchaser of the investment product, wherein the personal information identifies a loyalty program account receiving, by the one or more banking servers, payment information indicating payment was received for the investment product, and 2) determining, by the one or more banking servers, an interest value for the investment product based on the terms of the investment product. The method can also include requesting transfer of loyalty currency into the loyalty program account, wherein the loyalty currency is valued at the interest value, and wherein the requesting transfer is performed by the one or more banking servers.

1 . A method comprising:
 detecting, by one or more banking servers, selection of an investment product, wherein the investment product pays interest according to terms of the investment product;   selling the investment product, wherein the selling includes,
 receiving personal information about a purchaser of the investment product, wherein the personal information identifies a loyalty program account; 
 receiving, by the one or more banking servers, payment information indicating payment was received for the investment product; 
   determining, by the one or more banking servers, an interest value for the investment product based on the terms of the investment product; and   requesting transfer of loyalty currency into the loyalty program account, wherein the loyalty currency is valued at the interest value, and wherein the requesting transfer is performed by the one or more banking servers.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the determining the interest value, and the requesting the transfer of loyalty currency occur periodically, according to the terms of the investment product. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the investment product includes at least one of an investment fund, an interest bearing account, an annuity, a certificate of deposit. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 registering the purchaser for the loyalty program account, wherein the registering is performed by the one or more banking servers, and wherein the loyalty program account is hosted by a loyalty program server. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the terms indicate an initial investment, interest rate, and duration of time in which interest accrues. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the loyalty account is owned by a beneficiary named by the purchaser. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  further comprising:
 recording, in the one or more banking servers, a message from the purchaser to the beneficiary; and 
 forwarding the message to a loyalty server. 
 
     
     
         8 . A computer-implemented method for checking-in a passenger for an airline flight, the method comprising:
 detecting, by one or more computers, a request to check-in the passenger to the airline flight;   checking-in, by the one or more computers, the passenger to the airline flight;   detecting a message for the passenger, wherein the message is from a benefactor who gifted the passenger loyalty currency with which the passenger purchased a seat on the airline flight;   printing a boarding pass for the airline flight, wherein the boarding pass includes the message for the passenger.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising:
 receiving, by the one or more computers, user input indicating a message from the passenger to the benefactor; 
 transmitting the message to the benefactor. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising:
 receiving the message from a loyalty program server. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising:
 notifying the benefactor that the passenger has checked-into the airline flight. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more computers include an airline check-in kiosk located at an airport. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more computers include an airline server providing a web page for receiving the request to check-in the passenger. 
     
     
         14 . A system comprising:
 a loyalty program server configured to
 exchange sales information with a financial institution computer, wherein the sales information includes information about selling loyalty currency to a financial institution; 
 exchange interest accrual information with the financial institution computer, wherein the interest accrual information indicates amounts of loyalty currency to add to consumer loyalty accounts, wherein the amounts of the loyalty currency are for interest earned from financial products; 
 add the amounts of the loyalty currency to the customer loyalty accounts in response to the interest accrual information. 
   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the loyalty program server is further configured to:
 receive messaging information from the financial institution computer, wherein the messaging information includes a message to be presented to a holder of a loyalty account; and   transmit the message for presentation on an airline boarding pass.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the loyalty program server is further configured to:
 receive messaging information from the financial institution computer, wherein the messaging information includes a message to be presented to a holder of a loyalty account; and   transmit the message for presentation on a purchase receipt at a point of sale.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14  further including the financial institution computer, wherein the financial institution computer is configured to:
 present product information about the financial products; 
 receive consumer information about purchasers of the financial products, wherein the consumer information includes one or more beneficiaries identified by the purchasers, and wherein the one or more beneficiaries own one or more of the customer loyalty accounts. 
 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17  further comprising an airline server configured to redeem the loyalty currency for airline tickets. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the loyalty program server is further configure to: exchange airline information with an airline server, wherein the airline information includes information about airline tickets purchased by redemption of the loyalty currency and information about amounts of the loyalty currency to subtract from the customer loyalty accounts. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the investment product includes at least one of an investment fund, an interest bearing account, an annuity, a certificate of deposit.